


The World that Could Have Been

by psychotic_fangirl369



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arthur Finds Out About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon Lives (Merlin), BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Canon Divergence - Episode: s05e13 The Diamond of the Day, Canon Era, Canonical Character Death, Episode: s05e12-13 The Diamond of the Day, Everybody Lives, First Kiss, Happy Ending, M/M, Magic Revealed, Merlin Saves Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), and morgana - Freeform, except the saxons, it's Morgana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28454193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychotic_fangirl369/pseuds/psychotic_fangirl369
Summary: Merlin manages to reach Camlann before the battle has begun. Deciding the only way to save Arthur's life and defy destiny is to keep Arthur out of battle, Merlin choses to take on the Saxons alone, trusting that his magic would be strong enough to defeat an entire army.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 304





	The World that Could Have Been

Arthur had been sleeping peacefully beside Guinevere when something woke him. He lay there for a moment, unsure where he was, when he remembered. He was camped at Camlann. He was but possibly minutes or hours from a battle against Morgana and the Saxons. Most likely his own death.

He frowned. But what had woken him?

Guinevere shifted beside him and then her hand was on his chest. “Arthur. Arthur, what is it?”

Arthur shook his head slowly. “Merlin.”

Guinevere sighed. “It was just a dream. Go back to sleep. You need your strength.”

Arthur shook his head again. “No. No, it was…” Why couldn’t he remember?

Suddenly, the tent flap opened and Sir Leon stepped inside. “Sire, I am sorry, but Morgana is preparing to attack.”

Arthur pushed aside the fear and swung himself out of bed. “We must ready ourselves. Prepare for battle.”

Leon bowed and backed out of the tent.

“Arthur-“ Guinevere started. Then she stopped herself. Slowly, assuredly, she helped him into his armour. It felt wrong. Merlin should be here, doing this. Merlin, his idiotic manservant who had grown to be his best friend and the one person he thought he would always be able to count on. And yet, when it really mattered, Merlin wasn’t here. Arthur shuddered as he thought about his last words to Merlin – how cruel they had been. But he was hurt. Hurt that Merlin had decided to back out of the battle they had been building towards for years. Hurt that he wouldn’t have his best friend by his side in what was most likely his final hours. Hurt that Merlin – dependable, brave, clumsy, loyal Merlin – had abandoned him when he needed him most. He swallowed as Guinevere moved around him, fastening his armour in place. He was used to peaceful moments like this, where Merlin dressed him and prepared him for battle, said something terribly wise that seemed at odds with the rest of his friends personality and then said something to the effect of how much he believed in Arthur. It was that belief in him, that devotion that Merlin had shown him over and over again throughout their years together, that had helped Arthur face many of his problems. He wished Merlin was here to encourage him now.

There was a loud commotion outside and Arthur turned his head towards the tent flap, wondering what was going on. Then a figure stumbled into the tent and Arthur felt his heart stop, just for a moment.

“ _Mer_ lin?” he asked in astonishment.

Gwaine, Leon and Percival had followed Merlin into the tent.

“Look who we found,” Gwaine said, grinning.

Merlin swallowed and looked at Arthur with those big doe eyes of his. “Arthur, you need to trust me.”

Arthur shook his head. “What are you doing here? I thought you had something _more important_ to be doing?” he asked petulantly.

Merlin rolled his eyes. “You can be angry with me later. Right now, we have to take care of Morgana and the Saxons. Arthur, _do you trust me?”_

Arthur stared at his friend. “Yes. With all my heart.”

Merlin beamed, bright and sunny and so at contrast with the dark and despair surrounding them. “Then please, stay here. No one must leave this camp.”

Arthur snorted. “ _Mer_ lin, in case you didn’t notice, Morgana is preparing to attack us as we speak.”

Merlin swallowed. “I know that. But I can take care of this. I can stop her and her army without a single Camelot soldier being hurt. Please, just trust me. Stay here and you will all be safe.”

“Merlin, I’m hardly going to let you prance off to face an army _alone._ You can’t even hold a sword. _”_

Merlin shook his head, smiling lightly. “You’re a great king, Arthur. A bit of a prat, but a great king and friend, none the less. You said you trusted me, so do as I ask. Please.”

With that, Merlin turned and fled from the tent. The knights stared after him, before turning to Arthur and Guinevere.

“My Lord?” Leon asked.

Arthur bit his lip, before sighing and saying, “Order everyone to stay at camp. Gwaine, with me.”

Arthur left the tent and followed after Merlin, Gwaine close at his side.

“We’re going to follow him then?” Gwaine asked.

Arthur snorted and kept his eyes on Merlin. “Of course we are. I trust him. Fully. But I’m not about to let the idiot wander off alone. What could he possibly be planning if he thinks he can stop Morgana and her army?”

Gwaine looked solemn, for once in his life. “I don’t know. But I except we’re about to find out.”

***

Merlin wasn’t one hundred percent sure this was going to work. But he had to believe it would. He was stronger than he’d ever been before. After getting his magic back, he could feel it thrumming beneath his veins and he was ready to take on Morgana and her entire army if he had to, so long as Arthur was safe and far away from Mordred. He could not let the prophecies come to pass.

Some saw his devotion to Arthur as loyalty or duty, to King and Country or magic. It was neither. Merlin was devoted to Arthur because he loved him. And right now, he was willing to do anything to keep the man he loved alive to see another dawn.

As he reached the battle field, he could see the Saxons stood together, ready and waiting to attack. Standing above them on the jaggered edge of the cliff face, was Morgana.

Merlin walked slowly and steadily, stopping several feet away from the Saxons. “This is your only chance. Leave now and no harm will come to you,” he shouted over the distance between them.

Morgana laughed cruelly from where she stood. “What? Has Arthur sent you out here alone to fight his battles? _Emrys._ ”

Merlin gazed up at her sadly. “Arthur does not know who I am or what I can do. But he trusts me. And I told him I would end this battle without a single Camelot soldier getting wounded. I meant it.”

Morgana laughed louder. “You might be Emrys, but not even you are strong enough to take on an entire army and survive.”

Merlin cracked a smile. “Wanna bet?”

Morgana snarled. “Kill him! Kill him, now!”

The Saxons raised their swords and charged. Merlin raised a single hand. His eyes flared gold and a large, bubble like barrier rose between himself and the Saxons. Temporarily safe from their advances, he threw his head back and yelled, “O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!”

Knowing that Kilgharrah was on his way, Merlin looked back at the Saxons, who were trying to pass by his barrier. Swallowing hard, he dropped the barrier and let them charge at him. As they grew closer, he raised both his hands and screamed, “Ic þé wiþdrífe!” The Saxons at the front of the crowd were hit with the spell and flew backwards, crashing into their fellow soldiers.

Then Merlin was casting stunning spell after stunning spell. “Ástríce! Folge min bebod! Awendaþ eft wansæliga neat!” One by one, the Saxons flew backwards. Next, he yelled, “Cume her fyrbryne!” A line of fire flared up, latching onto some of the Saxons who screamed as they began to burn. More spells sprung from Merlin’s lips and slowly but surely, the Saxon army began to fall.

Finally, Kilgharrah arrived. “I need your help!” Merlin yelled. His voice was growing hoarse from casting spell after spell and his body was beginning to exhaust itself “Please. There are more soldiers prepared to attack from the hidden path on the other side of the pass. I saw it in the crystals.”

The dragon flew off and over to the other group of Saxons Merlin had seen in the crystal and began to attack. Merlin raised his hands and began casting again and again. “Gewican ge stanas!” He screamed and the rocks on either side of the Saxons came crashing down, crushing them.

“Emrys!” Morgana screamed from where she still stood.

Merlin took a shaky breath, fighting off the exhaustion and began to throw fire ball after fire ball at the few Saxons still standing. There was fire and smoke everywhere, flying from Merlin’s hands. Until, finally, there was nothing left but rubble, smoke and hundreds of dead soldiers.

Merlin collapsed to his knees, exhausted. He closed his eyes and took several breathes, trying to steady himself.

“Maybe you’re more powerful than I thought, Emrys,” a cold voice said.

Merlin looked up and saw Morgana walking towards him.

“But you have drained your magic. You will be unable to defeat me.”

“Kilgharrah-“ Merlin started.

But his words were cut off when he was thrown backwards by Morgana. He crashed into the rock wall and winced as his head smashed against the solid surface. He was tired and his vision was blurry and he felt like he was about to pass out. But this wasn’t over yet. Arthur wasn’t safe yet. He forced himself to stumble to his feet.

“I’m so sorry, Morgana,” he said, his voice gravelly. “I blame myself for what you’ve become.”

“Why?” she snarled. “Because you poisoned me? Betrayed me? You’ll go to the ends of the earth for Arthur, you’re friend. But what about me? I was your friend and you tried to _kill_ me.” She laughed bitterly. “I was so scared and so alone and it turns out you had magic, just like me. I told you of my powers and you did _nothing_ to help me. Nothing!”

She stretched out a hand and her magic shoved him against the wall and slowly began to choke him.

Then, out the corner of his eye, he saw movement. A second later, through his watering eyes, he saw Arthur. The king had his sword out – Excalibur – and within the next second he had run Morgana through from behind. The magic dropped and Merlin fell to the floor, gasping.

“No mortal blade can kill me,” Morgana sneered, even as the sword impaled her.

“That is no mortal blade,” Merlin coughed out. “I had it forged under dragons breath for Arthur years ago. Goodbye, Morgana.”

Merlin watched as the High Priestess, who was once upon a time his friend, collapsed to the floor, her eyes unseeing. He stared at her body for a moment, before raising his eyes to meet Arthur’s.

“Arthur,” he murmured, before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell into the land of darkness.

***

It took three days for Merlin to wake up. Arthur barely left his bedside. He sat, staring at his manservant turned friend turned best friend turned _sorcerer._ Merlin had been right, of course. He did manage to save them all. Not a single knight of Camelot was harmed. The Saxons that Merlin hadn’t killed, that blasted dragon had. Arthur didn’t know how he felt about all of it. He was relieved, yes, that his men and himself were alive and well. He was stunned that Morgana was finally dead, and guilty that his sister had died at his hand. But mostly, his thoughts were on Merlin.

Gwaine and himself had seen _everything._ They had hidden behind a rock and watched as Merlin had unleashed a godlike display of magic, managing single handily to kill hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers. The warrior he had seen didn’t fit with the imagine of his friend he had in his head. And yet… and yet it had happened. He had seen it. And suddenly, so many things began to make sense. How they always seemed to make it out of situations where they ought to have died. How Merlin managed to survive the Dorochas touch. How Gaius always claimed Merlin was in the tavern, and yet when Arthur had gone to the tavern, Merlin had not been there and the barmaid had said Merlin was never there unless it was with him. All the luck Camelot had seemed to have over these past ten years suddenly made sense. Because it wasn’t luck. It was Merlin. Merlin, who had lied to Arthur for years – and that hurt and he was angry, yes. But Merlin had lived in the shadows all these years, never once seeking any credit. He had saved Arthur and Camelot and the knights again and again, there was no doubt in Arthur’s mind. And the power Merlin had. Arthur had seen it first hand. And yet day in and day out for ten years, Merlin had slaved away as a servant, polishing Arthur’s armour, changing his bedding, dressing and bathing him, serving him. All these years… the most powerful man Arthur had ever seen – and according to Gaius, the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth – and he had been emptying Arthur’s chamber pot. And wasn’t that just so _Merlin._

Arthur stared at his friends still face, his hand still firmly holding Merlin’s. Gaius had said Merlin was just exhausted, but that he was physically okay, his body just needed the rest. Arthur just wished he would wake up.

Then, as though he could hear Arthur’s thoughts, Merlin began to stir. His eye lashes flickered and then, slowly, those beautiful blue eyes Arthur loved fluttered open.

“Arth’r?” he mumbled, blinking.

Arthur squeezed Merlin’s hand. “Finally. Time for you to stop being lazy, _Mer_ lin. Three days asleep. Honestly. Truly the laziest servant I have ever known.”

Merlin blinked at him and then his eyes widened as he seemed to remember what was going on.

“Arthur, I can explain,” he rushed out, trying to sit up.

“No, no, stay lying down, you idiot. You’ll knock yourself out again,” Arthur said, pushing lightly on Merlin’s chest and making him lie back down. “And it’s okay. Well, no, I’m angry. But not about the magic. Why didn’t you _tell_ me?” He tried not to sound to hurt.

“You’d have chopped my head off,” Merlin grumbled.

“I’m not sure what I would have done,” Arthur answered honestly. He knew he wouldn’t have killed Merlin, but other than that… banishment? He swallowed the guilt.

“And I didn’t want to put you in that position,” Merlin said softly, staring up at him.

Arthur shook his head at him fondly. “Only you, Merlin.” He reached out with his free hand and let his fingers graze over Merlin’s cheek, watching as his friends eyes fluttered shut for a moment and his breathing quickened. “You did it. Gwaine and I followed you and we saw you defeat the Saxons. You saved us all, Merlin. Thank you.”

Merlin stared up at him and his lips twitched slightly. “Does this mean I finally get a day off?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “You’ve had three days off while you were sleeping, _Mer_ lin.”

Merlin snickered, then groaned slightly. “I’m hungry.”

“Of course you are,” Arthur replied affectionately, his fingers still brushing against Merlin’s cheek. “I should go and get Gaius and let everyone else know you’re awake.” But he didn’t move from his seat. Instead, he leant down and pressed a chaste kiss to Merlin’s lips. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” he whispered once he had pulled back. “You’re my friend and I couldn’t bear to lose you.”

“Nor I you,” Merlin replied, stretching up to kiss Arthur again.

Arthur rested his forehead against Merlin’s. They had a lot to talk about and he was still hurt by the years of deceit, but he knew they would be okay. Because this was _Merlin._ And he and Arthur, well, they were like two sides of the same coin. Two halves of the same whole. And when they were working together, well… there was nothing on this earth that could stop them.


End file.
